Page 187 of Savior
He blew me off to go help another woman. I want so badly to be mad at him for that, but I can’t. Not after Jack Nero. Not knowing his own past, or his need to find redemption for himself through these acts of vigilantism.
I busy myself with quickly organizing the bandages and then zipping up the bag so I don’t have to look at him. There’s only one woman he could have run to, that would really piss me off.
“I swear, Dean, if you say it was Lucinda, because she’s Maddie’s mother, I’m moving out.”
“It wasn’t Lucinda, baby.”
“Then who?”
“Janie… Only… it wasn’t Janie.” He lifts his head to stare at me, the expression in his eyes looks as though whatever he’s about to say, he’s worried I won’t believe him. “I thought at first, her boyfriend forced her to set me up. For the beating I tossed him a year ago… But, it wasn’t him there waiting for me.” That pleading look in his eyes intensifies, and it’s as if he’s bracing himself for my reaction. “It was Legion.”
“Legion did this to you?”
“He got the drop on me. Used one of his club whores to pose as Janie. Before I could do anything, he cracked me in the skull with his gun. Knocked me out. I woke up in the shed behind her old trailer… Chained by my arms from the rafters.”
“Oh my God…”
“You believe me?” relief evident in his expression now, though he waits for my answer.
“Of course, I believe you. Why is he doing this?”
Dean turns to face me head on, reaching for my hand as that pleading look returns. “It hurts to say this to you, Vanna. After everything we’ve been through… Everything we’ve shared. But I have to.” He says, holding my hand tightly. “I can’t tell you.”
“Why not?”
“For one, it involves someone else. And I can’t talk about what she went through. We made a promise. A pact, that we’d never talk about any of it. For the sake of moving on, and keeping things buried, where they should have stayed.”
“Should have. But clearly didn’t.”
He shakes his head. “And that’s why I can’t tell you.”
I try to pull my hand from him, but he doesn’t let me go. “So, I can’t know, but Cherry can? You think I can’t see the connection you two have? The intimate looks you exchange.”
“Vanna, don’t be jealous of Cherry. She loves you. She loves us both.”
I know she does. And I love Cherry too, but… “Clearly, whatever this is, has to do with Cherry.”
“In a way. Yes.” Dean replies. “But she’s not the reason. I’m the reason. Legion has it out for me, because of something I did. And I’m sorry, truly I am, but that’s all I can tell you.”
As his thumb strokes the back of my hand, his grip loosens enough for me to wrench my hand from him. “I thought we were done with secrets. You keep more from me than I ever kept from you.”
“For your protection.”
“How convenient an excuse that’s become.” I snap at him. “You told me all or nothing. Do you remember that? The night I gave you that first bracelet. You told me that in order for this to work between us, you tell an Old Lady everything, or you tell her nothing. We agreed the latter wouldn’t work for us.”
“My club isn’t involved in this. And they don’t know what I’ve done, either.” Dean sighs.
“But Cherry does.”
“She’s got an idea. She’s never had specifics. No one has. I intended to take it all to my grave.”
“Do I even know you?”
The pained expression on his face now, it’s as if I punched that gash in his side. “You know me better than anyone.”
I turn from him to walk to the sink, washing the iodine from my fingers, before I storm back to the bedroom. Yanking open the closet door, I grab a duffle bag to pack a few things into, and toss it down on the bed. Dean is standing in the doorway when I turn around to move towards the dresser.
“What are you doing?”
